The present invention is directed to the field of hands operated puppets, formed from a sculptable material, such as a flexible foam block, and to a method of making a personalized puppet.
The present invention relates to a puppet construction kit, and to a method of fabricating the components thereof into a personalized puppet character that may reflect individual design features. At an early age many people experienced their first hand puppet fabricated from a white sock with a face marked thereon, but there was little input by the person operating the puppet. A search of the prior art revealed only a single patent that offered some creativity in making a hand puppet with limited personal touches. Such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,465, to McGill, which teaches a hand puppet kit to maximize creative play by the operator. The patent covers a hand puppet kit including a sock-like body member formed of a flexible material to have a hand receiving opening at one end thereof. The kit also includes a separate sheet of flexible material together with at least one pattern for creating a piece in a predetermined shape from the separate sheet of flexible material. With these features, the hand puppet kit further includes at least one portion of a hook and loop fastener to be secured to the piece.
The reaming developed prior art, as reflected in the following U.S. Patents, relate to a number of commercial hand puppets, without any or at best limited creativity by the operator or puppeteer, namely;
a) U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,626, to Maddi, is directed to a puppet of the type having a flexible elongated neck manipulated through movement from within by the puppeteer""s forearm, and the puppet having depending legs adapted to serve as a rest or support for the forearm as well as the puppet""s appearance.
b) U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,710, to Sommers, teaches the mouth construction for a puppet that is capable of being hand operated. The invention includes a pair of identical semi-rigid pieces having a lip region periphery having separate layers of fabric sewn to the pieces adjacent the lip periphery and one of the fabric layers is slit and pulled over the periphery to enclose the edge. The pieces are sewn together to define a hinge, and the assembly is mounted upon plates within a puppet mouth opening.
c) U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,240, to Thomas, relates to a hand puppet in which a plurality of different facial components can be removably attached to a head portion to produce different characters, such as monsters, funny looking characters, science fiction characters, etc. The hand puppet has a relatively rigid head portions, and the facial components can be attached anywhere on the head portion, and in any orientation relative to the head portion. A sleeve depends from the head portion, and has an opening at its distal end, and into which an operator""s hand can be inserted to support the puppet. The sleeve is preferably formed of fabric which depicts an outer garment for the puppet and the sleeve has a pocket for storing the detachable facial components. Further, the sleeve is designed so that when the pocket is closed, it is basically hidden from view. Thus, the detachable facial components that are not being used to form the puppet""s face are stored in a way which does not detract from the appearance of the puppet, and yet makes them readily accessible for changing the puppet""s face.
d) U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,006, to Estlund, is directed to a puppet having a head from which a collar-like element extends downwardly below the mouth area for the receipt of the operator""s arm. The mouth of the head is manipulated by one hand of the operator to simulate talking, biting, turning and the like. The head has hard, bulging eyes and a soft nose which are secured above the mouth area. The head and collar element are made of fabric material which may be of any type, the one herein illustrated is a woven cloth having long strands of fibers simulating hair over the outside thereof. Below the mouth area a pair of flexible extending arms are attached to opposite sides of the collar at the base of the head. Each arm is made of a cloth material which is doubled over and stitched along the bottom edge leaving an opening in which a rod is slidably secured. The rods have rubber tips on the inner and outer ends which require a substantial force for removal. The rods and arms are operated by one hand while the mouth and head of the puppet are actuated by the other hand of the operator.
e) U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,570, to Kohler, teaches a puppet comprising a head and a costume, the head comprising a container filled with a resilient foam material squeezed therein, the material having a slitted portion extending into the container from its opening, the slitted portion providing a finger-receiving receptacle for manipulation of the head by a finger, and the costume being in the form of a mitten for receiving a hand, the head and costume being in assembled relation when a hand is inserted into the mitten and a finger of the hand is inserted into the slitted portion of the head.
f) U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,283, to Rushton, relates to a hand puppet, resembling a stuffed animal has a pocket extending therein into which the head of a manipulator is inserted. The pocket is configured to extend into the legs and head of the animal so that the legs and head may be moved by the fingers of the manipulator. Behind the pocket, there is a cavity which is filled with polyurethane foam or the like so that the back portion of the animal retains its shape as the animal is manipulated.
g) U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,127, to Harp, is directed to a puppet with a substantially spherical head having a movable mouth which is operated by a pulling string. The string is attached to the lower jaw if the lower jaw is to be moved or it is attached to the upper part of the head if the upper part of the mouth is to move with respect to the lower part. The head is supported upright on a rod extending downward therefrom so that the lower end of the rod may be gripped to hold the puppet upright or said lower end maybe set into a support. The head may be rotated with respect to the cup-shaped member by rotating the rod and suitable arms may be attached to the cup-shaped member so that this member appears as the upper part of the puppet body.
The prior art is significantly devoid of providing the inexperienced puppeteer with the opportunity to create a unique puppet with the personal characteristics and design features of the puppeteer. The present invention, with a kit of components to make a puppet, and by a step by step process, gives the puppeteer the freedom to develop such unique puppet. The manner by which the present invention achieves the goals hereof will become apparent in the description which follows, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention relates to a kit of components for making a personalized hands operated puppet, and to a step by step process for making same. The method, in a first embodiment, comprises the steps of selecting a generally rectangular block of sculptable material, such as a flexible foam, and tracing a head portion of the block by a template pattern. Thereafter, the block is cut and trimmed to produce a head portion having a pair of sections that are foldable upon one another to simulate a head to be activated by the movement of the operator""s hand. To simulate features of the puppet, a fabric mouth lining is provided, including a simulated tongue. Included with the kit may be a pair of eye balls to be inserted into complementary carved eye sockets, an elongated sleeve member to be glued to the head portion, where the sleeve member includes a pair of simulated arm extensions, and a pair of rigid wire members for attaching to the arms for manipulating the arms. As an alternative to the generally rectangular block of the first embodiment, the starting sculptable material may comprise a pre-cut foam block having a slot dividing the block into two sections, joined by a thin flexible web. A further alternative, or third embodiment, may comprise an elongated block of foam and a second smaller block to be secured to the elongated block.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a convenient means to make a personalized hands operated puppet by an unskilled person.
A further object hereof is the provision of a kit of components that one may use with typical household tools to make a personalized puppet that reflects the characteristics of the intended puppeteer.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent in the description which follows, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.